


Be The Change You Want

by Android_And_Ale



Series: The Hero of Nova Herculania [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU/Canon Adjacent, And he doesn't like it, Celebrity!Cisco, Cisco Ramon's Sexy Hair Is Beloved On Multiple Worlds, Dinner and a Makeover, Domestic Fluff, Family Dinners, Harry has competition, Hero!Cisco, It's not like canon gives us any details about Team Flash's persona life, Leather, Leave In Hair Conditioner, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Peek at more alternate Earths, Pining, Somebody has to keep the lights on at STAR Labs, That's not how you claim your prize, The Hero of Nova Herculania, Togas, harrisco, season 4, villain!Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:09:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Android_And_Ale/pseuds/Android_And_Ale
Summary: Cisco angrily pointed his fork at Leather Wells. “He’s his world’s version of an evil batman.”Leather Wells sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Vibe. If I was going to splice animal genes into myself I’d pick something far more useful than a bat.” He turned to Wally for affirmation.Wally blinked in surprise, then nodded agreement. “I’d rather be a cheetah.”Iris laughed. “If you were an animal you’d be a baby goat.”“I’d be an otter,” Barry chimed in, cheerfully grasping at any possible change of subject.Leather Wells pointed his fork at Barry. “You know otters are murderous psychopaths.”“Only after you artificially enhanced their intelligence,” said Cisco.“Pfft,” Leather Wells waved dismissively. “I chose them because they're already unrepentant bastards.” He stared into Cisco’s eyes. “And because people consistently underestimate the strength of anything soft and adorable.”





	Be The Change You Want

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a drabble in response to two Harrisco tumblr threads:  
> 1) What if a Villain!Harry was madly in love with Hero!Cisco?  
> 2) What if Cisco was secretly a hair model on another Earth? 
> 
> When I looked up a few thousand words later it had turned into a short story. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this domestic fluff explaining what Cisco does on his days off in order to keep the lights on at STAR Labs.

“Oh, shit! There’s a breach alert!” Iris threw her napkin on the table.

“We just sat down.” Joe put his scotch down with a sigh as the rest of his family scrambled for their cellphones. They hadn’t had a hot, sit-down meal in two weeks.

Cisco frowned intently at his phone. “What the hell?” He shoved a couple dinner rolls in his jacket pocket. “Barry, Wally, sit back down. Have dinner with the fam. I got this.”

Barry and Wally were already on their feet. “Nah, man.” Wally wrapped an arm around Cisco’s shoulder in a half-hug. “We’re a team. Meet you there.”  

Wally and Barry nodded as one before disappearing in a red blur. Cisco grunted in frustration. He raised his fist and opened a breech. Joe grabbed his gun, Harry his pulse rifle, and Caitlin her entire plate. If this turned into an emergency she knew she’d be the one stitching people up all night, and she was tired of doing it on an empty stomach. So tired.

Harry dramatically jumped through the breach, pulse rifle pointed forward. Joe rolled his eyes and strolled in afterwards. “Go ahead. You know you want to,” said Caitlin. Cisco pulled the elastic out of his hair and ran his hands through it. He shook out his mane and leapt through the breach, landing lightly on his toes right next to a kneeling Harry. As his head turned, his hair spun gracefully around his shoulders.

“Vibe!”

Cisco winced at the familiar voice. His cheeks visibly flushed.  “What are _you_ doing here?” he hissed. His entire body went stiff as he lifted his hands, posed for a vibe blast. “You’re wanted on four worlds. You know what I’ll have to do if they trace you here.”

“I won the contest.” A leather clad Wells doppelganger stood on the dias - his long, lanky body sexily leaning against a support beam. His eyes were heavily lined with Egyptian style kohl, and a hint of silver glitter was sprinkled on both his cheeks and sideburns. His curly hair was a little longer than Harry’s, letting his impossibly shiny, soft floof curl several inches above his head. The familiar face split in a predatory grin. He held a bottle of leave-in conditioner in one hand and a sharpie in the other.

“Is that my pulse rifle?” Harry glanced down at the gun in his own hand for confirmation that it hadn’t disappeared. His doppelganger wore a nearly identical weapon strapped across his back and a smaller set of dangerous looking cylinders on a custom belt slung low over his hips.

The new Wells sauntered over. Harry flinched as Leather Wells made hard eye contact with Cisco. He lay his fingers on Cisco’s wrist, turning his hand over in order to gently lay the conditioner bottle in it, slowly stroking Cisco’s fingers in the process. He handed Harry the sharpie. Harry let it fall on the floor. Leather Wells didn’t break eye contact with Cisco as he started to pull off the shoulder strap holding his own weapon. 

“Hands down!” Joe snapped. “Do not touch the weapon.”

“Cisco?” Wally raised his eyebrows. “You want to introduce us to your...friend?”

“He’s not my friend,” Cisco snapped.

“Hadrian Wells. Better known as Professor Penance.” He beamed at Wally. “Think of me as Vibe’s nemesis.” Leather Wells bowed at the waist, bending to brush a light kiss over the back of Cisco’s hand. “With benefits.”

Harry shot upright from his crouch, eyes narrowing angrily. He took half a step forward, both muscling into his doppleganger's personal space and partially blocking him from reaching Cisco. “Explain,” he snapped.

“There’s nothing to explain,” Cisco snapped. Hadrian looked insulted as Cisco gave Harry’s arm a reassuring pat. “And he did NOT win that contest!” Cisco thrust the conditioner bottle back at Hadrian Wells. “I was there when we drew a name. The winner is a 12 year old boy from Nova Herculania.”

“I let him keep the year’s supply of Perfectus Capillum bath products,” said Leather Wells. His soft accent was full of sensual rounded vowels, suggesting English was his second language. “But his family agreed it was in his best interests to transfer the rest of the grand prize to an adult. A boy his age is far too young for dinner and a makeover with a celebrity of your stature.”

“Celebrity?” asked Barry.

“Makeover?” asked Caitlin, around a mouth full of roast.

“They don’t know.” Leather Wells ice blue eyes twinkled in delight. He tapped a finger on the end of Cisco’s nose, smirking at the glare it drew. Harry batted the other Wells hand away.

Leather Wells turned to Joe. “If you reach into my front pocket you’ll find a thumb drive compatible with your world’s technology. It explains everything.”

“Nope,” said Joe. “No way am I sticking my hand in your pocket.”

“I’ll do it.” Harry grumpily shoved a hand in his doppleganger's pocket.

The other man smiled broadly at him as Harry’s fingers searched for the thumb drive. “I did age well.” He leaned forward and smelled Harry’s hair.

“Stop being creepy, Professor Pervert,” Cisco snapped.

“I can’t decide if I’m relieved or insulted that his hair doesn’t smell like yours.” Leather Wells looked down at Harry’s hand in his pants. “Wait. Wrong pocket. Try again.”

Harry rolled his eyes. He instantly found a thumb drive in the other pocket. He tossed it to Barry, who headed to the nearest console.

“Whoa! You don’t know what’s on that!” Cisco jogged to Barry and snatched the thumb drive out of his hands. “You can’t trust Doctor Dramatic over there. For all you know this is a compact install of an alternate future version of Gideon. Plug that into a connected computer and he could take over all of STAR Labs in minutes.”

“Fool me once,” smirked Leather Wells.

Cisco glared death at him. “Barry, get one of the disposable refurb netbooks with the wifi card ripped out. Worst case this will fry one machine.”

While they waited, Cisco flipped the thumb drive over in his hand. “What do you really want, Hadrian? You didn’t come all this way to get me to autograph a conditioner bottle.”

Caitlin put her plate on a chair and took the conditioner bottle. “Is this some kind of bastardized Latin?” she asked.

“Let me see that.” Harry stood next to her. They wrestled with the bottle for a moment before bracing it between them. Their foreheads wrinkled as they struggled with the unfamiliar dialect. Caitlin’s eyes widened as she looked up at Cisco a couple times, then back down at the bottle.

Barry reappeared with an ancient 10 inch netbook. Cisco double checked that it didn’t have a wifi card. He took a deep breath. “Listen, before I hit play on this, I want to remind you someone had to keep the lights on here. It’s not like Barry or Wally are charging by the rescue.  Eobard may have left Barry the building, but after the class action lawsuit there wasn’t anything left for our salaries, much less the electric bill on this place.”

Leather Wells rolled his wrist in a circle, taking in Team Flash. “ _This_ is the family abroad you work to support?” He looked incredulous.

Cisco ignored him as he plugged the thumb drive into the netbook. “Do you know what it costs to fuel a treadmill capable of keeping up with a speedster?” A series of file folders labeled in Earth VII’s International Latin Standard popped up. He picked the most harmless looking one.  “No. You do not. But I do. And this is how I keep the lights on.”

Cisco took a deep breath and swallowed hard before hitting play.

Team Flash gathered close around the 10 inch screen. Behind Cisco, a familiar hand rested on the small of his back. Cisco kept his eyes glued to the screen rather than check to see which Wells it belonged to.

The scene opened on a magical field that looked like it belonged in Filory. A pair of comically over-endowed satyr’s knelt next to a river, flirting with the half nude nymphs swimming near the shore.

In front of them, Cisco reclined backwards on a leather lounge, back arched, hair cascading majestically. His eyes were painted with the same Egyptian style kohl Hadrian wore. A dramatic sprinkle of gold glitter dusted his cheeks, matching his deeper gold lipstick. He shook his lustrous locks and more glittering gold dust fell out. Wherever the glitter landed, it exploded like tiny fireworks before a magical tendril burst forth from the earth, instantly sprouting into a wetly suggestive red cala lilly.

He rolled off the lounge in a single liquid movement and sauntered towards the river, casually dropping clothes as he neared the shore. His curls swayed gently in an invisible breeze. Once naked, he shook out his hair again, looked back over his shoulder, and winked seductively at the camera. It pulled in tight as he dove gracefully into the water, swam to the opposite side, and pulled himself up to the waist, his hair now a sheet of liquid black silk cascading down his shoulders.

His voice rumbled low and seductively as he turned to face the camera. Gentle waves lapped at his navel. He confidently strode back into the water, flesh disappearing under the waves with every step. His low voice seductively promised something in a language that wasn’t quite Latin until he was completely submerged. Gold glitter exploded into the air as his hair disappeared beneath the water. Off on the sides, the nymphs looked like they were on the verge of glitter induced orgasms. It faded to Cisco’s low voice murmuring something indecipherably sweet.

“I told them no full frontal,” said Cisco.

Team Flash stared at him with open mouthed shock.

“Are you a porn star on his world?” Iris asked softly.

“Yes,” said Leather Wells.

“No,” Cisco snapped. “See what you did there? You’re just confusing people.” He crossed his arms, glaring down at the screen. “It’s an advertisement.”

“For what?” Caitlin and Iris stared at one another, wide eyed and confused. This was a side of Cisco they never expected to see. Literally.

“Leave in hair conditioner,” said Cisco.

Wally covered his face with his hands. He turned away from Cisco, tried to peek through his fingers, then strode over to his father and buried his face in Joe’s shoulder, shaking with quiet laughter.

Wally’s giggles set Iris off. She struggled to keep a straight face, but her mouth rebelled until she too gave in, bracing her head against her father’s other shoulder. Joe wrapped an arm around Wally. His other hand affectionately stroked Iris’s hair. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head in order to mask his own giggles.

Watching the three of them set off Caitlin, who tried and failed to hide her laughter behind her hand. Barry wrapped an arm around Cisco’s shoulders, resting his chin on the shorter man’s head. His entire chest shook. “I love you, man,” he chuckled.

The only person who didn’t look amused was Harry. He crossed his arms, thoughtfully studying the possessive expression on his doppelganger's face.

“If you breathe a word of this to anyone,” Cisco snapped at the room in general. “I mean ANYONE!”

“You should see the one where he’s the reincarnation of Vulcan.” Leather Wells leaned over the netbook, queuing up another video. “The golden robots were particularly inspired.”  

Caitlin, Iris, and Wally perked up, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Nope.” Cisco snapped the netbook closed. “That’s enough show and tell for one day.” He pulled out the thumb drive and shoved it in a pocket before pointing an accusing finger at Leather Wells. “Why are you really here, Doctor Dumbass?”

“Dinner and a makeover.” Leather Wells pulled a pamphlet out of his leather jacket. Harry snatched it from his hands. “I know there’s a contest completion clause in your contract. If winners aren’t available they can designate someone else to accept on their behalf. If you don’t make a good faith effort to hold up your end, you forfeit your share for the entire shoot and related marketing.”

One side of the tri-fold phamplet was just a closeup of Cisco’s face, his hair cascading down to mostly cover one eye, the other lined in kohl with a hint of gold glitter. The other side was littered with photos of shampoo, conditioner, curling irons, and other prizes.

“I swear, if I find out you’ve got little Gaius Germanicus and his family tied up in a basement somewhere…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Leather Wells. “This time of year they’d freeze to death. I left them in the attic.”

Cisco’s fist shot up. A breach opened behind Leather Wells. Before Cisco could leap through, Leather Wells pushed Cisco’s arm down, wrapping his large hand tight around Cisco’s fist as he stepped in close. “You didn’t ask whose attic,” he rumbled in Cisco’s ear.

Leather Wells looked over his shoulder, beaming proudly at Team Flash. “Always the hero.” His thumb stroked the back of Cisco’s hand. “Do the math, Vibe. It’ll take less time for you to fulfil the terms of your contract than it will to search every attic in Nova Herculania.”

Wally held up a hand. “You know we still have a crockpot full of pot roast and potatoes at home. Just breach him back to dad’s place.”

“No!” Cisco and Harry chimed in unison.

“It’s efficient,” said Caitlin. “And the roast was really good.” She glanced at her empty plate and smiled encouragingly.

“I was thinking of that hole in the wall restaurant off the coast of Atlantis, around the block from where you defeated Invictus.”

“He really didn’t live up to that name,” Cisco muttered.

“Not against you.” Leather Wells stepped closer, one hand still closed around Cisco’s fist. He slid the other into Cisco’s hair, carding through it’s length. “But...offer accepted.”

“Get off me, you psycho!” Cisco swatted madly at his hands. He angrily backed away from Leather Wells and straight into Harry’s chest. Harry put his hands on Cisco’s shoulders to brace him. They both glared at Leather Wells.

“Tell me where you’re keeping that kid,” Cisco spat. “Or you’ll get nothing but a sack of Big Belly Burger and a fist to the face.”

“You can’t afford to damage your knuckles like that.” Leather Wells hand drifted to his hip. His fingers rested over one of the ominous cylinders strapped to his belt. Behind him, Joe’s gun drifted back upwards. “Not before next week’s shoot.”

“If I’m too messed up we can do a follow up to the resurrection from Hades spot,” said Vibe.

“Wait, how many of these commercials have you made?” asked Caitlin.

Leather Wells looked over his shoulder, beaming at her. “The last time he threatened to go into retirement the rivers went salty with people’s tears, so the gods let him claw his way back from the underworld so mortals would stop mourning the loss of his lustrous locks.”

Cisco pinched the bridge of his nose. “That was part of the marketing strategy from the start,” he muttered darkly.

Caitlin staggered over to the West family. Wally stretched out an arm, welcoming her into the puppy pile of laughter. “I’m so sorry, Cisco. I’m not laughing at you, honest. I’m just...it’s...you’re…”

“The Hero of Nova Herculania.” Leather Wells braced his fists on his hips, mimicking Cisco’s angry stance.

“Is this why you couldn’t play Laser Tag last Sunday?” asked Barry. “You said you had a date.”

“He did.” Leather Wells smiled affectionately. Harry’s eyes narrowed.

Cisco held up a hand, waving one finger back and forth in a no-you-don’t gesture. “Your brain spiders latched onto the entire senate!” he snapped. “I got an emergency message from the Co-Counsels!”

“How else was I supposed to sway the vote?” Leather Wells turned his charismatic smile on Wally, shrugging as though it was obvious. Wally’s mouth stretched wide in a nervous parody of a smile.

“A strongly worded letter? How about a petition?” Cisco braced his fists on his hips, glaring hard. Harry elbowed his fist down so Cisco and Leather Wells weren’t facing one another in the same heroic pose.

“Be the change you want.” Leather Wells face split in a predatory grin.

“You wanna be a brain spider?” asked Wally.

“Version 7.0 is half the size and can be controlled from cell towers,” said Leather Wells.  He twirled a finger in one of Cisco’s curls. “I look forward to you testing their range for me.”

“Die in a sewer,” Cisco spat.

“Tried that last year. You rescued me,” he replied.

“Wait,” said Joe. “You’ve been running off to play hero on another world for a whole damn year! And you never told any of us!” He stared accusingly at Harry, who spread his hands wide in obviouis surprise and angrily mouthed, ‘What?’

Leather Wells cocked an eyebrow at Cisco. “Interesting.”

Cisco sighed. He scrubbed his knuckles across his eyes, collecting his thoughts. Before he could speak, his stomach rumbled audibly.

“For Gaius sake,” Leather Wells said, “Explain over pot roast.” He rested a hand on Cisco’s chest. Harry irritably swatted it away.

Caitlin held up a hand. “Is that an expression on your world or do you really have a twelve year old kid tied up in an attic somewhere.”

“Waiting for the Hero of Nova Herculania. Tick tock, Vibe.”

“I hate you,” Cisco muttered.

“No you don’t.” Leather Wells gently pet Cisco’s cheek.

Wind gusted around the breach room as Wally disappeared. Seconds later, Wally leaned against the door. “This way. Everything’s set up in the staff kitchen.” The entire room stared in shock. “What? You guys were gonna eye fuck each other until that kid died of old age. I’m too hungry for that.”

Barry casually picked up the netbook. “Good call, Wally. Let’s eat.”

Wally set a fine table. The crockpot full of roast, carrots and potatoes was neatly plated on service for eight along with generous helpings of salad and dinner rolls. A massive cheesecake rested at one end of the table while two sacks of Big Belly Burger anchored the other as a supplement for the speedsters. Harry pulled a burger from one of the sacks and bit in angrily.

Leather Wells pulled out a chair at the head of the table closest to the cheesecake. Iris and Caitlin held hands, giggling into one another’s shoulders.

“I’m never doing another contest,” Cisco muttered darkly. Leather Wells pushed in his chair and took the seat to his right. Harry elbowed over to sit on Cisco’s other side, glaring hard. Wally poured wine for them all.

“Did he tell you about the time he saved the Equestrian Electors from having their minds wiped at the Centennial Chariot Races?” asked Leather Wells.

“I bet they call you the king of casual small talk,” said Iris. 

“They call me Professor Penance,” he rumbled.

“Not happening, Doctor Detestable,” said Cisco. “And he left out the part where he blanked the memories of everyone on the rear mezzanine before I could disable the transmitter.”

“Only temporarily,” Leather Wells replied. He forked a bite of pot roast and nodded approvingly at Joe, who shrugged in appreciation. At least someone liked the food.

“They needed six months of memory restoration therapy!” Cisco threw a roll at his head. It landed neatly in his floof. Iris and Caitlin collapsed on one another’s shoulders, giggling uncontrollably every time they tried to look up until Barry leaned over and awkwardly swatted it away.

Leather Wells casually ignored the roll. “Anyone who could afford those seats deserved it.”

“You have box seats, Doctor Dissatisfied!” Cisco angrily pointed his fork at Leather Wells. “He’s his world’s version of an evil batman.”

Leather Wells sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Vibe. If I was going to splice animal genes into myself I’d pick something far more useful than a bat.” He turned to Wally for affirmation.

Wally blinked in surprise, then nodded agreement. “I’d rather be a cheetah.”

Iris laughed. “If you were an animal you’d be a baby goat.”

“I’d be an otter,” Barry chimed in, cheerfully grasping at any possible change of subject.

Leather Wells pointed his fork at Barry. “You know otters are murderous psychopaths.”

“Only after you artificially enhanced their intelligence,” said Cisco.

“Pfft,” Leather Wells waved dismissively. “I chose them because they're already unrepentant bastards.” He stared into Cisco’s eyes. “And because people consistently underestimate the strength of anything soft and adorable.”

“Why didn’t you leave him to die in a sewer?” Harry snarled.

Leather Wells smiled at his doppelganger. “Heroes. They can’t help themselves.” The room went quiet as the two of them locked eyes.

Eventually, Joe cleared his throat to break the silence.  “So, wait a second. How long have you been, what did you call him? The Hero of Nova Herculania?” Joe’s mouth tightened into a thin line as he stared Cisco down.

Cisco blushed hard. “Look, sometimes when things get a little too stressful here I unwind with a little sightseeing on other worlds.”

“In your Vibe suit?” asked Joe.

Cisco held up his hands. “Heck no! I wanted to fit in.”

“So he stole a tunic,” said Leather Wells.

“They don’t have jeans. Or t-shirts,” said Cisco. “Or buttons. How can an entire world never get around to inventing buttons? I looked like an alien.”

“The tunic had a purple stripe,” Leather Wells added, smirking to himself.

“Seriously?” Harry rubbed his hand against his face. “You have a sewing machine in the workshop. You could’ve taken a few reference photos and made yourself something that was actually inconspicuous.”

“Like you did when we went to Earth 42,” Wally suggested.

“Not helping, you two. Just hurting,” Cisco replied.

“You’d been there for, what, ten minutes before Tremor hit Nova Herculania with a level six seismism,” said Leather Wells.

“Earthquake,” Cisco added. “No idea what that is on the Richter Scale, but it was bad. I couldn’t just leave all those people to die. So I breached into buildings and shoveled people through portals and onto a field outside the city.”

“Barefoot. In a purple striped tunic. With that hair.” Leather Wells affectionately looped a curl around one finger. Cisco angrily swatted him away.

“All I really did was buy Fulgora and her team time to take him down.”

Leather Wells cut a thick slice of cheesecake and put it on Cisco’s now-empty plate. “He’s so modest.”

“Apparently,” Harry said drily. “So modest he never told any of us about it.”

“The local press use these annoyingly inconspicuous swarm cameras. They’re like a hundred little bees, each one with with a tiny low-res camera and microphone. They circle around, get you from different angles, and process everything into a single composite usable image. The algorithm is actually really impressive,” said Cisco.

“You’re getting off topic.” Leather Wells gently elbowed him.

“Right. So when a pretty lady compared me to a Roman God I, er, took the compliment.” Cisco’s cheeks flushed red again. “Don’t judge. That’s not the kind of thing women say to men like me. I thought I was just talking to a frightened local. I had no idea I was on national television with the brand manager for a local hair care company. It...just sort of spiraled from there.”

Wally sputtered a small laugh. “Spiraled so far you’re naked in TV commercials?”

“You could triple your rate if you’d accept a full frontal contract.”  Leather Wells turned a critical eye on Cisco.

“And halve my dignity,” Cisco replied.

His gaze slipped down between Cisco’s legs. “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”

Joe choked on his wine.

“Stop.” Cisco closed his eyes. His hand rubbed his forehead. “Hadrian, just stop.”

The room went silent as everyone stared at Cisco.

“You okay, man?” Barry asked gently.

Cisco sighed. “Look, you don’t really need me here.” He held up his hands as the table erupted in protests.

“Don’t get it twisted. I love you guys. But you’ve got two speedsters full time. In case of emergency you can always call Jesse or Jay Garrick. I’ve gotta lot of down time between metas, so I go exploring. Learn how to use my own powers instead of focusing on Barry and Wally and Jesse all the time. Mine. Wow. They’re...actually pretty rad.” He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since the particle accelerator exploded.

“Fulgora and her team let me train with them in exchange for me chipping in as designated superhero a few days a month. I’ve learned a lot. They’ve got a pretty good rotation set up so nobody burns out. And they’re cool with me being a part timer.”

“It adds to his mystique,” said Leather Wells.

Cisco shrugged. “The thing is, if you want to be on Fulgora’s team, you have to take a sponsorship. That’s how they keep their entire facility afloat. Tech like that ain’t cheap.”

“Everybody knows that.” Leather Wells shrugged dismissively. “How else would you fund superheroes?”

“The team gets 35% for doing all the paperwork and handling the contracts and keeping the facility running,” said Cisco. “And I get a fat check. There’s no multiversal currency exchange, so I buy gold or other rare commodities there, then sell it here.” He pointed at Wally and Barry. “And that’s why I haven’t had to hook you two to a giant hamster wheel in order to generate power for STAR Labs.”

“Thanks?” Wally looked dubious, but grateful.

“But...shampoo?” Barry said incredulously.

“I suggested condoms,” said Leather Wells.

Cisco wrapped a hand around his forearm. “Please stop,” he said softly. Harry winced at the casualness of the exchange.

Iris waved her fork, pointing between Cisco and Leather Wells. “So the two of you…” she let the words hang in the air.

Leather Wells unzipped his jacket. He pulled the gold fastening pin from the top of his black tunic, letting the soft cloth fall aside to reveal a surprisingly muscled chest. He tapped a pair of healed bullet wound scars on his shoulder. “That’s where he shot me outside the agora.”

Cisco rested his hand on his chin. “You deserved it.”

He let his fingers drift over a dark patch of burn puckered skin. “He teamed up with Plaster Blaster to stop my Saturnalia Surprise.”

“Tar Pit,” said Cisco. “On their world he’s a good guy.”

“I needed skin grafts over 15% of my body.” Leather Wells fingers continued downwards until they rested over a long scar on his lower abdomen.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Cisco protested. “You can’t blame me for your emergency appendectomy.”

“It wouldn’t have burst if you hadn't force blasted me into a statue of Poseidon. I was practically speared on his trident.”

“You shut down the global internet and held everyone’s information hostage!” Cisco snapped.

Leather Wells barked laughter. “I warned them about the critical vulnerabilities in the DNS system when I was still head of the Laboratorium Stella. I’m amazed no one else got around to shutting it down first.”

“So…” Wally steepled his fingers. “I think what Iris is really asking is, like,  are you two a thing?”

“Yes,” said Leather Wells.

“No,” Cisco protested, a little too forcefully.

“Maybe?” Leather Wells smirked as he raised an eyebrow.

“You are such a disappointment.” Cisco frowned at him, sadly.

Leather Wells stroked a line along Cisco’s jaw. “So are you, hero. You could be so much more.”

Cisco rolled his eyes. He angrily pushed Hadrian’s hand away. “Not this again.”

Leather Wells cupped Cisco’s face in his hands. “Deep down, more often than not, you agree with me.”

“I’ll never agree with murdering innocents,” said Cisco.

“You’re not always onboard with my methods, but you agree with my message.” He stroked a thumb along Cisco’s cheek.

“That’s not how the world works,” said Cisco.

“That’s not how your world works,” Leather Wells said softly. “Come back to mine. Where you belong.”

Barry leaned over to Iris. “I think we should give them some alone time,” he whispered.

“You shut your mouth.” She whispered back. Iris grabbed his hand and held him at the table, unable to rip her eyes from the drama at the other end.

Cisco and Leather Wells slowly turned towards the West-Allen’s. “Inside voices, children,” said Leather Wells. He let his hands fall from Cisco’s cheeks before Cisco could push him away, lingering lightly with the last brush of his fingertip on Cisco’s dimpled chin.

“If you’ve really got a kid and his family tied up in an attic somewhere your appendix won’t be the only organ I burst,” said Cisco.

Leather Wells repinned the top of his tunic and slid his jacket back into place. He fished a piece of paper out of an interior pocket and handed it to Cisco. “You’ll find them here.” He gave Cisco a sad, shy smile. “And I need a ride home. Bring duct tape adhesive remover for the Laboratorium Stella breach room techs. The good stuff you use when it gets wrapped around someone’s entire head.”

“You’re an asshole,” said Cisco.

Leather Wells stood and straightened his jacket He pulled out another thumb drive and tossed it at Wally, who caught it in the air. “A pleasure meeting you all. You add significant … context.” He held an arm out to Cisco. Cisco punched it.

“I’ll be a couple days.” Cisco stared at the table, avoiding Harry’s withering glare. “Fulgora’s gonna need a heads up. And,” he shrugged, a hint of a smile creeping into his expression. “I’ve got a commercial to shoot. Enjoy the electricity. I’ll bring home cash for more.”

Cisco lifted a fist and opened a breech. Leather Wells rested a hand on his lower back. They leapt through together.

“He may not be the hero Central City wants,” said Wally, “But secretly, I think he’s the one it needs.”

Caitlin looked at Barry. “I thought Eobard left you enough money to keep this place afloat.”

Barry guiltily ran a hand through his hair. “I was pretty messed up after Eddie sacrificed himself to get rid of Eobard. When I tried to refuse the inheritance, Cisco said that was dumb, and he’d take care of it for me. I kinda forgot to follow up on that.” He paused, staring down at his hands. “No, that’s a lie. I chose not to follow up because I was scared he’d put the responsibility back on my shoulders. I should have, but I didn’t.”

“I can’t believe he has a whole other life as a crime fighting hair model,” said Caitlin

“Why hide this from us?” Hurt crept into Joe’s voice. He thought the kid trusted him.

Wally cocked his head to one side. “Do you really need an answer to that question?” The rest of the team looked at him, surprised.

“Because none of you believe in Cisco,” said Harry. “None of you think of him as a hero.” He pursed his lips. “Except you, Wally, but they don’t take you as seriously as they should, either.”

“Thanks, man,” Wally smiled. “That means a lot coming from you.” The pair of them nodded agreeably while the rest of the table stared on, still shaken.

“Look,” Wally sighed. “Cisco’s stuck in a rut on Team Flash. It’s not like he can get promoted from sidekick to headliner. He needs to stretch his legs. Spend some time around folks who think he’s something special instead of an emergency backup.”

Joe put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Are we still talking about Cisco?” he asked.  

Barry watched them guiltily, waiting for Wally to speak. Joe sighed and poured himself another glass of wine. He spared Harry a sympathetic look and topped off his glass as well.

“There’s no stuffing this genie back in its bottle.” Wally meditatively walked the thumb drive back and forth over his fingers. He made eye contact with Barry, who silently passed him the battered old netbook.  “So let’s see what the Hero of Nova Herculania does on his weekends off.”


End file.
